Rajala Woods
Minnesota Power expects to plant up to 3 million white pine, red pine, jack pine and spruce tree seedlings as part of the Rajala Woods forest management initiative.
Rajala Woods, highlighted on five parcels of company-owned land (map) , is an effort to increase the percentage of longer-lived conifer tree species in Minnesota forests. The initiative is named in honor of the late Jack Rajala, who was chief executive of the Rajala Companies of Deer River, Minn. His strong conservation ethic and love of native northern Minnesota species like white pine exemplified the values behind the Rajala Woods initiative.
The trees will be planted over 10 years across about 3,000 acres at an estimated cost of $1.4 million. The Rajala Woods initiative will take shape on the North Shore near Taconite Harbor Energy Center, on property adjacent to Colby Lake near Hoyt Lakes, at the Boulder Lake Management Area near Duluth, at the Blackwater Environmental Area in Cohasset and near Pillager on property occupied by the Sylvan Hydroelectric Project.
Minnesota Power intends the Rajala Woods initiative to be a catalyst for environmental stewardship. If you’d like to learn how you can help with forest restoration efforts and opportunities to volunteer, please call Kurt Anderson, Director of Environmental and Land Management, at 218-355-3322 or email him at kanderson@mnpower.com.
- Read our news release to learn more about the Rajala Woods initiative.
- Rajala Woods Fact Sheet
- Rajala Woods Dedication Photo Gallery
- Earth Day 2016 Video
- Interview with Jack Rajala on ICTV Part 1(Aug. 2016)
- Interview with Jack Rajala on ICTV Part 2(Aug. 2016)
Rajala Woods Dedication
Al Hodnik, ALLETE chairman, president and CEO, and Jack Rajala in the woods near Taconite Harbor. The site on the North Shore of Lake Superior is the first to be highlighted in Minnesota Power’s Rajala Woods initiative.
Students from Birch Grove Community School in Schroeder wait for the presentations to begin at the event announcing the Rajala Woods initiative.
Al Hodnik holds a plaque given to Jack Rajala, chief executive of Rajala Companies, in appreciation of his work to restore the white pine to northern Minnesota.
Al Hodnik, ALLETE CEO; Lori Dowling-Hanson, Minnesota DNR; Deb Amberg, ALLETE senior vice president, general counsel and secretary; and Jack Hedstrom of Hedstrom Lumber listen as Jack Rajala speaks about the importance of white pines and other conifer trees.
Birch Grove students watch as MP Land Management specialist Corey Skerjance demonstrates how to plant a tree seedling.
Birch Grove students show they’re ready to plant white pine seedlings.
Jack Rajala helps second-grader Silas Ekstrom plant a tree.
Jack Rajala, Deb Amberg, Lori Dowling-Hanson, Jack Hedstrom, Al Hodnik and Al Rudeck, Minnesota Power vice president of strategy and planning, prepare to ceremoniously plant a larger tree.
